Independent Opinions, News, and Reviews of Graphic Novels, Manga, and Comic Books
I finally have the missing number that will complete this year’s Archie sales figures for their entire line. Title Average Nearest Issue Veronica #187 14,119 13,633 That puts it between Archie & Friends and Jughead in sales rank, and I see that it’s declining when the most recent sales are compared to last year’s average. As for Sonic X, your guess is as good as mine. The numbers weren’t in #29 or #30, the two issues that came out with […]
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After finally telling Otani how she feels in volume 4, here Risa has to cope with the fallout. He’s not interested, and as a result, she’s still depressed. She took the chance and it didn’t work out as she hoped, so she’s walking through school like a zombie, causing all her friends to worry. In volume 5, she wishes things could get back to normal, but it’s not that easy to forget her declaration and his response. Either she’s trying […]
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The Clarence Principle is a goth Alice in Wonderland. After a dream-like prologue expressing the protagonist’s feelings of love and being left behind, the story opens with Clarence awakening after his suicide. As he wanders the unusual world he finds himself in, he seeks… well, he’s not sure. A message in steam on the bathroom mirror said “Find Me”, but who? The reader knows that what he’s looking for is self-awareness. He doesn’t admit to himself what he’s done as […]
Read moreBob Almond is launching the Inkwell Awards to “celebrate the often overlooked and underappreciated artistry of inking within the comic book industry.” There are a whole bunch of categories: Favorite inker A) Retro (golden, silver & bronze age artists) B) Modern (1990s to present) Favorite finisher/embellisher (Known for doing finished inkwork over the layouts or breakdowns of a pencil artist) A) Retro B) Modern Most-adaptable inker (Showing exceptional ink style versatility) Most Prolific Inker Props award (Inker deserving of more […]
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Four of Joann Sfar’s graphic novellas are collected in English as Vampire Loves, featuring Ferdinand, a depressed vampire with an unlucky love life. As the book opens, Lani, a tree-girl, is attempting to return to Ferdinand. She cheated on him with his friend, but she’s willing to come back, although she takes no responsibility and blames him for not trusting her. He doesn’t want her back, but he hopes she returns, even leaving the door open when he goes out […]
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I’m still enjoying this comedy romance series by Aya Nakahara, as each new book brings more complications. After her realization from volume 3, Risa finds herself in the position of being in love with a good friend who can’t pick up on the most obvious of hints. The gang heads off to the beach for summer vacation. Everyone but Otani knows about Risa’s crush, and they keep pushing her to do something about it. Her shy attempts in that direction […]
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I read Fool’s Gold volume 2 when it came out, several months ago, and I didn’t have much to say about it. It continues the story from volume 1 in expected fashion. Hannah, the previous queen bee, isn’t coping well with Penny usurping her place as Miss Popularity, so she’s scheming and manipulating. The boys identified as pyrites (the false gold of the title), who are now without girlfriends, are beginning to get suspicious. Keeping up with her ever-growing girl […]
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Josei manga is manga aimed at women, a female audience older than the girls who read shojo. And women are always the last group targeted in comics. (It usually goes young men -> older men -> kids (boys and girls) -> women. Some of the core male audience stays with it as they age, and then everyone starts worrying about where new young readers will come from. Targeting the adult female is an afterthought, but when that happens, it indicates […]
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